Travel - grace grits and gardening

Lake Signs

June 17, 2015 By Talya Tate Boerner

Happy Hump Day y’all! As I look though the photos I’ve taken while enjoying family time at Lake Norfork, I realize I’ve snapped lots of pics of lake signs. Not sure what that means (if it means anything), other than I like signs that remind me of the lake. Some are handmade, others are vintage, others simply signify a special place.

This is the twig sign that greets us at our little resort. Perfect lake sign!

On our front porch. We have a fabulous view—gently sloping and clover-filled that leads to a quiet cove.

When the water at the end of the road means the lake, that’s a great thing.

A great street name for those lucky enough to live at the lake.

Old vintage sign. Love it!

After years of being stranded here and there in every remote cove on the lake, we have a glorious new boat. Believe me, we’d gladly “plant one” on ours. (Although she’s not an outboard.)

Is there a theme to the pictures you take? I also take lots of pictures of food and flowers. Especially obvious on my Instagram feed.

Carry on,

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

[tweetthis]Is there a theme to the photos you take? #LakeSigns #Schnauzer pics #FoodandFlowers[/tweetthis]

Musical Pairing:

Signs, Five Man Electrical Band

Slowing down in Piggott.

June 6, 2015 By Talya Tate Boerner

Happy Saturday! I thought I’d check in to let you know I’m still alive. I’ve been busy doing a whole lot of nothing but writing. After another successful writer retreat in Piggott, Arkansas, at the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center, my whole body feels drained. And that’s a good thing. Hemingway-Pfeiffer is an awe-filled place. A place for slowing down. A place for concentrating on the craft of writing.

The grounds are gorgeous and peaceful, not too contrived but natural, the way I imagine things looked when Hemingway wrote inside the barn/studio.

Small-town Piggott feels like home to me. Treasures can be found if you slow down and notice.

The Piggott Library has a signed first edition of Hemingway’s Death in the Afternoon, (along with an entire cabinet of related ephemera.) I’m guessing not many small town libraries can claim such a thing.

I love the history around the town square, especially the faded advertisements spanning old brick buildings.

The train rumbles through town at all hours of the day and night, tapping into a deep memory of another time.

The next time you drive from Dallas to Austin or Atlanta to Savannah (or wherever), hop off the interstate and spend some time in one of the small towns along the way. Have lunch. Visit the library. Walk around the square. Take time to slow down. Slow is good.

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

Piggott is located approximately 180 miles northeast of Little Rock and 110 miles north of West Memphis. For more information about Hemingway-Pfeiffer and other Arkansas Heritage Sites, click HERE.

[tweetthis]Take time to slow down. Your #writing will benefit. @hpmuseum #HemingwayWroteHere[/tweetthis]

Musical Pairing:

Mayberry, Rascal Flatts

Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen (and John!)

May 4, 2015 By Talya Tate Boerner

Hey y’all. This is a true story. While I was slaving away at Dairy Hollow making edits to the book I WILL finish, my husband was hobnobbing with the one and only Paula Deen. (How adorable is she?!) Yes, John was on a business trip, and yes, he was invited to the grand opening of Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen, her newest restaurant located at the Island in Pigeon Forge. That’s in Tennessee.

She served him fried green tomatoes. I’ve been training John to take pictures of his food. Ahem, I believe there’s only one tomato left on this plate.

What’s left of Grandmama Paul’s Fried Green Tomatoes…

And that last tomato? It went into co-worker Roddy’s mouth.

He did better with this picture. If I know John, he ordered double collards.

I’m not gonna lie, I was a little (a lot) jealous to miss this opportunity (not that I was actually invited, but I don’t know why a blogger wouldn’t be invited to document every business trip).

John returned bearing gifts—an autographed Hey Y’all t-shirt and apron!